


The Hue of Death

by howdoesonewritethings



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Prinxiety - Freeform, assassin!logan, bc i started this when i didn’t know about the wonders of analogical and logince, but yeah, its gonna be a kinda long one so strap in lads, logicality - Freeform, the assassin logan au nobody asked for, tw blood, tw violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-30 00:45:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17213942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howdoesonewritethings/pseuds/howdoesonewritethings
Summary: Assassin Logan works a job he has to out of necessity, but his next target makes him question whether he can continue like this any more.





	1. i’ve been doing awful things again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, welcome to this ig! this is my new my new multi chaptered assassin logan fic that's been in the works for a little while! there will be romantic logicality and prinxiety, some fluffy stuff and also some pretty angsty stuff. however since it is based around an assassin, there are some heavy themes of death etc. so please do check the tags.
> 
> that's all from me, i really hope you enjoy!

“Logan- Logan, please!” The young woman before him screamed, her eyes wide with pure, unrestrained panic, tears pouring in a waterfall of terror down her cheeks. This one was young, her face appearing smooth, even more so due to her heavy foundation, which was a shade more orange than the skin on her neck. Her blonde hair had been in a long braid down her back all night, but by now it strands of hair were falling out messily, tangling around itself.  Her mascara was smudged all over her cheeks, staining her face a hideous watery grey, and her lipstick was partially wiped away, but quite frankly her appearance was fairly unlikely to be her biggest concern at this moment in time.

 No, her biggest concern would likely be the icy cold gun barrel that Logan was pressing mercilessly into her temple. She would probably be seeing black spots by now, and Logan was vaguely impressed by the fact that that she hadn’t fainted. Many of the others did. The woman was fairly small, and her slender body was currently pressed against Logan’s own, but not in the romantic way that it had been over the last few months. No, this time Logan’s arm around her waist was restraining, and not comforting. Her entire body was trembling, somewhat unsurprisingly, but Logan honestly couldn’t find it within himself to care.

 “Don’t you love me, Logan?” She asked him pleadingly, her lips shaking so violently that she must have found it difficult to force the words out. Logan, however, simply snorted cruelly, and the woman let out a sob, her only hope that he had any ounce of feeling towards her that could spare her gone. “Please, Logan, please, I can- I can get you away from this, my father, he- he has money, and…”

 Logan shook his head, tutting condescendingly. He leant down, so that his lips were level with her ear, and, with a smile curling on his lips, whispered. “I know he does. That’s the point.”

 She takes a deep breath, collecting herself slightly, and exhaled again. Logan raised one eyebrow, waiting to hear what pitiful plea she had next. She lifted her chin, a single tear running down her face, and simply uttered, “You’re a monster.”

 Logan pulled the trigger.

Swallowing, he removed his hand from where it was wrapped around her waist and let her body crumple to the floor. For the first time that night, his confident expression wavered slightly, slipping into a troubled frown. That was a shame, that one. The ones he is usually employed to dispose of tend to be completely detestable, and getting rid of them is inconvenient at worst, but that one… she had some positive characteristics. 

Still, a job is a job, and at the end of the day a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do in order to get paid.

Deftly, he removed his phone from the back pocket of his jeans, and dialled the number, pressing the cold screen of the device against his only marginally warmer face. He didn’t remove his eyes from her lifeless body lying motionless on the concrete, blood spilling out of her in every direction. He probably should have made an effort to be less messy with this one. Still, that wasn’t his job.

They pick up. “Logan.” The low answering voice draws out his name, as if chewing on a particularly juicy steak, and even without seeing them, Logan knew they were grinning.

“I need a clean up team down at the warehouse on 45th avenue asap.” He told them, voice sharp and clear, but devoid of any emotion. Emotion just made everything worse.

The person on the other end of the line chuckled nastily. Clearly, they weren’t finished with Logan quite yet “Did she scream?” They asked him quietly, a cruel, almost hungry edge to their voice.

“Of course.”

The person chuckled again, the sound low and awful, but Logan was far too used to it by now for it to affect him in any way. “Good job Logan. You really are one of my best.” They told him, but it didn’t inspire any kind of pride in Logan.

He simply swallowed. “Thank you.”

“The clean up team should arrive in a few minutes, and your wages have been delivered directly into your bank account, as per usual. Oh, and make sure to stop by my office next Friday for the file on your next… client.” The voice snarled happily, before hanging up.

Logan took a deep breath, and slowly pulled the phone away from his ear. He would need to be gone before the clean-up team arrives, and he wanted to leave as soon as possible. This place was already starting to stink of her blood. He dropped his gun, and kicked it towards her, recoiling slightly as her lifeless hand flopped to the side with the impact. He removed his jumper, and his trousers, quickly switching them for another pair he had been carrying in his briefcase, leaving the items of clothing next to the gun. The cleanup team would dispose of them, and ensure that there was no DNA evidence linking him to the crime in any way.

And now he would wait for a few days, before the police would pull him in for questioning about her death, and he would tell them everything he had been instructed to. She had gone out, probably to that bar she goes to all the time, but he had decided to visit his mother instead, a part played by yet another member of the team. Then, he would be absolutely devastated when they gave him the news, they would leave, and the case would be closed.

Done. 

But for now, Logan just needed to go home. He turned his back on the ~~woman~~ corpse, and walked out of the building, leaving his shoes at the entrance for the clean up team to collect, switching them for yet another pair in his briefcase. 

Logan hailed a taxi, and directed the driver back to his flat, where he lived with his brother. He owned another flat as well, which acted as a kind of stage flat. He only used it when interacting with his targets, but it was furnished and equipped with anything you would expect, so that when the police inevitably knocked for him they wouldn’t be suspicious. It was safer to have that extra flat than risk having his real home tied to his work, especially as Logan absolutely did not want his younger brother to ever have anything to do with his particular line of work.

In the taxi, Logan used his phone to pull up his bank account, and smiled. Perfect. Logan’s job wasn’t perfect in any way, shape or form, but damn did it pay well.

The journey back home was a fairly long one, as Logan had ensured the murder location was nowhere near his flat, so he had time to wonder about his next target. Which asshole would he get next, and how would he have to interact with them?

Most targets he got were snobbish, rich white girls, and it was easy enough to feign a relationship with them. Most of them were so desperate, it was incredibly simple to work his way into their hearts, so that they trusted him with the information they needed before he killed them. With the woman he had just finished with, all he had to do was bump into her in a coffee shop, ask to buy her a drink, and that was it! Soon enough he had used her phone to steal her and her parent’s bank numbers, and after that she was disposable. 

It was usually about money after all. 

Not all of their targets fit that profile of course. A little while back Logan had to date the son of a mob boss in order to figure some information about their members that the company needed. Logan had no idea WHY they had needed that particular information, but he wasn’t high up enough to be privy to the inner workings of the corporation.

He had been a difficult one though. Logan actually had to spend time getting to know his interests, beyond “I’m the son of a mob boss so I like to punch people”, and convince him that he saw and understood the person he was underneath. He had to pour almost eight months of his time into that one, but the reward was immense. Of course, afterwards Logan had been forced to kill him, but in that instance it was more of a show of power to the mob itself.

Logan was quickly jolted out of his reverie by the taxi driver coughing. “We’re here son, are you getting out?” The man asked in a gruff voice. Logan cringed inwardly, but outwardly he responded in his usual elegant and composed manner, handing over the money and thanking the man.

As the man drove away, Logan opened the door to his apartment building, and headed up the stairs to his flat. His real one, for the first time in weeks.

He unlocked the door, and slipped into the entrance of his apartment. The lights were still on, meaning his brother was likely still up.

Looking around, Logan was struck once more by the sheer beauty of this place. Logan had actually felt proud when buying it, proud that he was able to give his younger brother this awesome space.

The whole apartment was modern and bright. The entire bottom level was open plan, with an elegant black and marble kitchen, a cosy living room and a large glass dining table where both Logan and his brother often did any work, despite both having desks in their rooms. The walls were covered in windows, so the apartment was always bright, especially in summer.The kitchen doors opened onto a balcony, where there were two chairs and a small table. The brothers often sat there in the mornings and ate breakfast before the younger headed off to sixth form.

“Virgil?” Logan called hesitantly, not wanting to wake his younger brother if he had fallen asleep on the couch again.

“Yeah?” A slightly sleepy sounding voice responded from the direction of the dining table.

Upon properly entering the room, Logan could see Virgil slumped over the table, surrounded by heaps of books, with his laptop balancing precariously on one stack. The 19 year old’s purple dyed hair wasn’t visible under his overly large hoodie, but his undereye bags were.

“I wasn’t sure whether you were still awake.” Logan told him, sitting across from him, frowning slightly. “Hey, I can see those bags. You aren’t working yourself too hard, right?” 

Virgil groaned and rubbed at his face, looking up at Logan. “I mean… maybe a bit Lo, but exams are only a couple of months away and I really need to be on top of my assignments.”

Logan shook his head fondly. “I was pretty much the exact same in sixth form. But seriously, you need some sleep. This is why you need me here to make sure you maintain a healthy circadian rhythm.”

Virgil scowled, but the effect was lessened by how obviously tired he was. “Well maybe if you were home more often I would actually have one.”

Logan felt a jolt of guilt. Near the end of a job, he tended to stay overnight at his other apartment for days, or even weeks at a time, and that had held true this time. He wished he had more time to spend with Virgil, but he often didn’t have a choice. Still, now he was here he would try to make sure Virgil was as happy as possible.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’ll be away for a couple nights this week, and then I should be home to stay for a couple of months.”

Virgil perked up at this. “Really?” He asked Logan, sounding hopeful.

Logan smiled. “Yep. However, as much as I would love to stay and chat, we are both tired and I would recommend we both head to bed.”

Virgil grinned slightly sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his neck, as he often did. “Yeah, you’re probably right Lo. Honestly my sleep schedule is entirely fucked at the moment.”

Logan chuckled quietly, not minding the swear in the slightest, and made shooing motions.

“Come on, bed.”

Virgil grinned, and made his way up the stairs, followed by Logan. Just as he disappeared into his shadowy purple room, Logan heard him say a gently, “G’night Logan.”

He grinned, his heart full of affection for his younger brother. “Goodnight to you too Virgil.”


	2. you’re the glitter in the darkness of my world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it is me, Sera! I have no idea how to work ao3 so i couldn’t put notes on the last chapter, but yeah, this is my new Sanders Side’s fic! I hope you enjoy this chapter, title from Boom Clap by Charli XCX :)

About a week later, Logan was returning to his apartment, feigning sniffles, fake tears flowing down his cheeks. The police had called to take his testimony of that night, and let him know that her body had been found. His testimony had been perfect, clearing him of any suspicion with a perfect alibi and he seemed to be in the clear for now. With no evidence linking him to the crime, and a witness stating that he had indeed been occupied at the time that the murder had taken place, they had no reason to investigate into the poor sniffling boyfriend any longer.

Logan continued to sniffle until he was fairly close to his apartment. Several passersby gave him odd looks, but nobody commented on his obvious sorrow. It was strange, that the world was in a place where people are likely to leave someone sad or in need simply to spare their own effort or embarrassment. And those were some of the better people to inhabit the world! Quite honestly, the world was full of scumbags, and while Logan did acknowledge that he was in fact, some of the lowest of the low, to a degree he honestly believed he did the world a favour.

For example, one case had come to an extremely satisfying conclusion as he finally got to take the life of the scumbag he had been forced to feign affection to. The daughter or a corporate giant, she was rich, selfish and an all around disgusting human being. She was not above lying and stealing despite having money aplenty to buy whatever she wished. She would quite happily insult a person in need to their face, and genuinely believed she was the most important person in the universe. She treated even Logan as a convenient plaything, something he did not take particularly kindly to, but ultimately was forced to endure. Still, he waited it out, until the corporation managed to hack the accounts of her father, steal all of his money and kill the whole family. 

Still, now wasn’t really the time for ruminations on how shit the world was.

Logan arrived at his second apartment, let himself in and locked the door, immediately straightening up and wiping his sleeve across his eyes. God, crying was exhausting. Honestly emotions were too much effort in Logan’s opinion. Still, he was good at pretending by now.

He sighed as he walked into the apartment properly. He really hated this place. This apartment was much smaller than his real one, but almost as well kept. Technically, everything he needed was here. But it was just so… off. This house was stained with the fingerprints of too many corpses.

Logan headed into the small bathroom to wash his face, and change out of his tie and into a more comfortable pair of ratty pajamas. As far as the police and his partners – and Virgil come to think of it – knew, Logan worked at your average boring office job. Well. Logan was pretty sure Virgil knew that wasn’t quite the case, but he had been subtle enough over the past few years that Virgil would only be able to ruminate over the possibilities, and was unlikely to ever guess the dark truth.  
Logan then entered the kitchen, which was a definite downgrade from his real one. It was dark, with only a small window, so he flicked on the light switch. It was early evening by now, but honestly Logan was already exhausted, physically and mentally.

He put the kettle on to boil, preparing his mug and tea bag as he waited. As an afterthought, he picked up his phone. He only actually had a couple of contacts on his phone, as well as a fake “work” number which called yet another employee of the corporation, who would pretend to be the receptionist if he called. The only other numbers on there were Virgil, and Dee, who was an old acquaintance from high school who was a whizz with computers.

He pulled up Virgil’s number and sent him a text, confirming that he would indeed be home tomorrow night, and, hopefully, indefinitely. Within seconds, Virgil had replied, including a rare smiley face in his text, which made Logan smile. His younger brother was the only person in his life Logan felt he could relax around and he was the only real constant in his life. When it came down to it, Logan so desperately wanted his brother to be happy. Knowing that Virgil wanted him around warmed his heart, because his sarcastic little brother was his only source of positivity in the world.

Logan jumped as the kettle made a noise to indicate that it was finished boiling, having been somewhat lost in his thoughts. He made his tea, and headed up to the bedroom – he refused to call it ‘his’ bedroom, that was reserved for his real apartment – before curling up in bed and pulling his laptop towards him. Sipping his tea, he logged onto the secure email the corporation had set up for hm, and sent his boss an email stating that the police interview was finished.

However, Logan was more tired than he had thought, and the comfort and warmth of his bed was too welcoming. Only seconds after shutting his laptop, Logan had fallen asleep.

On the other side of town, Virgil was still grinning at his phone, elated that his brother would be home for a while. The whole atmosphere of the apartment was better when Logan was there, because even the nicest of apartments can still feel lonely after a while. He had really been missing his big bro, and although he would never admit it, he really did rely on him quite a bit.

Still, he might as well celebrate. Logan wouldn’t be home tonight, so he might as well go out somewhere. The smile never fading from his face, Virgil shrugged his favourite hoodie on, redid his eyeliner and threw on a coat of dark lipstick before leaving the apartment building.

He smiled wider as he stepped into the cool night air, inhaling happily. Virgil was definitely a night owl. Everything was so much different at night. During the day everything was so obvious, and you were crushed by the oppressive weight of your responsibilities, but here, in the crisp night air you could do anything, be anyone, and your responsibilities wouldn’t come back to haunt you until the morning at least.

Virgil’s feet followed a familiar path along the dull grey concrete, carefully stepping over puddles of leftover rainwater, to avoid drenching his sneakers. The streetlamps gave the area a soft orange glow that he knew some people hated, but it made him feel safe and at home. City life was familiar and welcoming to him, having always preferred to get lost in a sea of people than stand out in a crowd.

Before long, he arrived at his destination, a common haunt during his nighttime strolls. He was standing outside a small coffee shop, decorated to resemble a retro diner, and it was the best café he knew. He loved this café, and even better, it was always open between 1 and 5 am, with a discount to students. The owner always proclaimed that she needed a place like it when she was going through education, and therefore had wanted to set up a safe space for students to hang out at any time. Virgil often took his books and laptop and studied in here, during both the day and night.

He opened the door, and smiled at the familiar barista. “Hey Virgil! You getting your usual today?” She asked, smiling.

Virgil shook his head. “Not tonight Val, I’m celebrating something. I was thinking maybe one of your famous Double Fudge Whip Milkshakes?” He normally got a simple caramel latte, but Valerie’s milkshakes were delicious, and he felt like treating himself.

Valerie grinned happily. “Okay, coming right up, you go take a seat.”

Virgil nodded, and headed over to his night time spot. During the day he would usually sit in one of the corner booths, because he liked his privacy, but when it was empty like this, he preferred to sit on the stools facing the big window where the neon sign was. This was the perfect place to sit and just watch the cars go by. He liked to watch people go about their business, and think about what they might be doing.

People were fascinating. Everyone was so different, and yeah, some people were assholes, but many are just beautifully complex. Virgil watched a man walk past, wearing what appeared to be a crown, and in the other direction, a gaggle of girls walked by, giggling.

At that point, Valerie came over and set Virgil’s drink in front of him, before disappearing behind the counter once more. Eyes still fixed on the window, he took his first sip appreciatively. These were so unhealthy and so delicious, he absolutely lived for them. They were incredibly sweet, but somehow not sweet enough to come across as sickly, and the cream on top finished it beautifully.

He was so preoccupied with his drink that he didn’t notice the entrance of another customer, or the murmur of voices behind him. He only noticed when he saw somebody else sit beside him in his peripheral vision. He looked up, curious as to who had decided to sit next to him in the otherwise almost completely deserted cafe, and saw none other than the man with the crown that he had noticed outside just a moment before.

Unfortunately, this man was absolutely gorgeous. Virgil hadn’t properly got a look at his features from outside the café, but damn was he attractive. He was tall, much taller than Virgil, which wasn’t surprising as Virgil stood at a mere 5’2, but he would say this man was probably just over 6 foot. He had slightly wavy sandy brown hair which framed his face perfectly, and his soft brown eyes twinkled slightly in the light of the neon sign. He had a soft smile on his face and Virgil had to wonder whether this was the most attractive man he’d ever seen.

However, Virgil had learnt from experience that the more attractive a person was, the more likely they were to be a gigantic asshole, so this bombshell immediately got his guard up.

“I saw you sitting here from outside, and I had to come in and ask whether you really are an angel.” The man quipped with a grin.

Virgil sighed and raised an eyebrow. “I mean the rest of this bitch of an earth seems to be hell, so I’m more likely to be Lucifer.” He drawled, immediately putting on his confident persona. “Anyway, what’s with the crown Princey?”

‘Princey’ laughed, a melodic explosion of humour. “I’m a part of a local theatre group, we just finished a rehearsal for our musical; we’re doing cinderella, and I, of course, am the dashing Prince Charming.”

Virgil smirked. “Ah, so you’re a theatre nerd. Got it.”

The man, instead of looking offended, simply grinned. “Yes, I most certainly am. Maybe I can be your Prince Charming, mysterious emo boy.” He put his elbow on the counter, and rested his chin on it, still grinning at Virgil.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Fat chance, I’m not exactly your average Cinderella.”

Princey leaned closer. “That won’t stop me from attempting to sweep you off of your feet J.Delightful.”

Virgil snorted, just as Valerie came over to give Princey his drink. To Virgil’s slight disappointment, the man leaned away, thanking her.

“A heathers pun? Really?” He asked incredulously. This guy really was the epitome of a theatre nerd.

The man grinned. “Why of course. What dashing prince doesn’t know their musicals?” Virgil just raised an eyebrow once more, and looked at him for a moment, letting the rhetorical question hang in the air. After a moment of so, the tension snapped, and both of the, just burst out laughing. Wow, this guy really was an idiot, but he was definitely a handsome one.

“So, does this normally work for you then? Hitting on emos in café’s at midnight?” Virgil asked, grinning.

Princey overdramatically pretended to think, stroking his chin and pulling a pained expression. “Thinking back… I’m not sure, this is the first time  
I’ve tried. You are one of a kind.” He grinned. God, his teeth were perfect. “What about this one, would you say it’s working for me?” The man asked, somewhat hopefully.

Virgil looked the man up and down. He was incredibly gorgeous, and from what he could tell so far, not a gigantic dick, which was a plus, but he couldn’t just hand it to him. He had to work for it. “Well, considering I don’t even know your name yet…”

“Roman.” The guy flashed him a winning smile. “My name is Roman Prince, at your service.” He pulled the crown off of his head, and pretended to bow. “And you are…”

Virgil shook his head, smirking. “But that would be too easy, wouldn’t it Prince Charming?” 

Roman looked somewhat dejected at this, so Virgil pulled a pad of sticky notes and a pen out of his pocket, scribbled something on it, and handed it to Roman. He then finished his milkshake, and placed the sticky note on the table in front of the other man. “I really should be going, but… you can text me, if you want.”

As Virgil left, Roman picked up the sticky note. On it were written four mobile numbers, and underneath, the phrase “Which shoe fits? – Cinders.” Roman chuckled to himself, and put it into his pocket, vowing to text all of them later in order to find out which belonged to the cute boy with hazel eyes and purple hair that glinted in the light of the neon sign next to them.

Logan woke up a couple of hours later, his fake apartment entirely dark and silent. He yawned and rolled over, eyes flicking upwards to check the time on the clock on his bedside table. The red numbers read 2:36, and Logan sighed at himself. This is what happens when you mess up your circadian rhythm he reminded himself.

His stomach rumbled, and he winced. He hadn’t eaten due to falling asleep so early. Sighing, he got up to check the kitchen cupboards. To his utter dismay both them, and the fridge were completely devoid of any food. He cursed. Of course they were, he hadn’t bothered to restock them after finishing with his last client. Great.

His stomach growled again, and he groaned. He was REALLY hungry… Giving in to the demands of his stomach, Logan grabbed his wallet and phone and left the small apartment. It wasn’t like he was going to get any more sleep now anyway, he had gotten his allotted 8 hours.

The only question was, where could he find a store that would be open at this hour? Unfortunately, his second apartment was located fairly far away from any shopping areas that had any supermarkets. His best option was probably to walk in the direction of his real apartment, and hope to find shops on the way. If not, he knew the location of shops once he got in that general area.

So, Logan set off, unafraid of anything one might expect. Of course, being an assassin Logan was confident he could take on pretty much anybody who tried to harm him. He wasn’t only skilled in weaponry, but also excelled in hand to hand combat. It was all really about finding weak points and exploiting them in order to efficiently incapacitate, or even kill, your opponent - fairly logical really. And if Logan was good at anything, it was utilising logic in difficult scenarios.  
For a while, Logan strolled up street after street, only to be met with identical looking apartment blocks and parks. That was one of the great drawbacks of living in a city – so much of it was all the same.

However, at what he supposed was probably midway between his apartments, Logan arrived at a small tesco express, which a sign outside loudly proclaimed was open 24/7. His stomach rumbled loudly once more, and Logan wasted no time in heading inside.

The shop was quite small, but had everything someone would really need, with the exception of vegetables and fresh produce. The artificial white lights and cold concrete floor made it look identical to every other corner store there was. Logan turned the corner, intending to simply grab some food and go, an employee stacking a shelf catcihng his eye.

This man seemed fairly ordinary, a little short perhaps at 5’5”, but otherwise fairly normal. His hair was brown, and based on statistics, Logan guessed his eyes would match. The employee was perched precariously on a stepladder, attempting to stack some cans on the top shelf that he could almost reach.

At this moment, the stepladder wobbled, and the man let out a surprised yelp before steadying himself. Logan’s eyes widened, already foreseeing this going wrong. The man stretched slightly higher in his attempt to reach the very top of a shelf, and Logan darted forward preemptively, just as the man tumbled off the ladder. Thankfully, Logan had lightning fast reflexes, and quickly caught the man in his arms, not even thinking about alternatives.

The man somehow managed to snag the can he was holding from midair, and looked up quizzically, seemed quite confused to be in someone’s arms, and not on the floor. Logan’s breath caught. His predictions were incorrect, but Logan didn’t have any complaints. The man had gorgeous sapphire eyes, which stood out from the rest of his fairly average appearance, and from this angle, Logan could make out a scattering of light freckles that covered this man’s nose. He blinked, his thoughts surprising him. Did he find this man… cute?

Upon looking up and seeing Logan, the man immediately flushed bright red, and shifted awkwardly. Logan placed him down, and the man grinned somewhat awkwardly.

“Oops, I didn’t hear you come in! I was just sorting out the shelves, but I’m a clumsy one!” The man had an incredible youthful energy about him, which was especially surprising as it was by now gone 3am.

“You should really be more careful…Patton.” Logan told the man smoothly, glancing at his nametag. ”Would you like me to place that on the shelf for you?” He asked, motioning to the can the man had miraculously caught.

Patton giggled, and shook his head. “Oh, no, I’ll sort it later, don’t worry about me!” Suddenly, Patton blinked surprisedly, looking as if he’d forgotten something. “Oh, don’t let me interrupt your shopping, I’ll just be over at the tills!” With that, he nodded to Logan, and disappeared down another aisle in the direction of the aforementioned tills.

Logan smiled, slightly bemused by this man. Maybe there were some nice people left in the world? Or maybe he was just good at seeming like a nice person, and was ultimately was just another asshole.

At that point, Logan’s stomach growled once more, reminding him why he had walked for 30 minutes in the pitch black. Not really knowing what he wanted to eat, Logan walked aimlessly down the aisles, looking about for a suitable late night snack.

He picked up a bag of skittles and some sweet and salty popcorn before turning into the bakery aisle. By this time, they were usually out of most baked items, but Logan’s gaze landed on a container of Crofter’s Jam filled Doughnuts. Logan’s eyes widened, and he immediately grabbed the plastic container, knowing full well that he would eat all five of them in one go.

Satisfied with his choices, he headed in the direction Patton had gone a few minutes earlier.He rounded a corner, and Patton came into view once more, beaming at him from behind the till as he approached.

“All done?” The man asked brightly as Logan approached.

Logan smiled, a genuine smile at this man’s obvious enthusiasm despite working the night shift at Tesco Express. “Yep, I think this should be enough to satisfy my cravings.” He joked.

“Are those some crofters doughnuts you’ve got there?” Patton asked, still smiling. Logan nodded. “My roommate absolutely adores those, and I can’t say I dislike them either. He says crofters is special because it’s one of the only jam brands he actually likes.”

Logan grinned. “Crofters is special alright. Honestly I think I might have an addiction, but it’s too delicious for me to actually care.”

As the words left his mouth, he wondered whether he had messed up, whether Patton would understand the joke or be concerned by his statement. Luckily for him, Patton simply burst into peals of bell like laughter. If the man had been cute, his laugh was even prettier, and Logan couldn’t stop himself from joining in.

“I don’t think you’re the only one.” Patton responded once he had finished laughing, reaching out for the doughnuts so he could scan them.

Logan hummed his agreement, still smiling at this man. Logan had truly forgot that people like this existed in the world, and it was a good thing to remember. The smile slipped from his face slightly as it occurred to him that he and this man were polar opposites – this man was a literal angel whereas Logan represented the grim reaper himself.

“These doughnuts truly are made with the finest croft-manship.” Patton joked as he scanned them.  
“Did… did you just make a pun?” Logan accused rolling his eyes as Patton laughed at himself, now scanning the popcorn.

“Yep, I sure hope you’re not too SALTY about it!” He said, his voice light with humour as he giggled at his own joke some more.

Logan fully groaned this time. “That one was just plain awful.”

Patton sighed as he scanned the skittled. “Yeah, not my best. Anyway, that’s 8.40 please!” He finished, smiling at Logan.

Logan paid him and took his food immediately opening the doughnuts. “Uh… do you want one?” He asked awkwardly, offering the box to Patton, but the man shook his head.

“You eat them buddy, you look starved. Anyway, have a nice night!” Logan grinned through his doughnut as he left the store, his heart much lighter than it had been when he had gone in. Maybe kindness wasn’t completely extinct… yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s that, I hope you enjoyed this bit of fluff lol. Chaoter updates will be on saturdays so look out for the next update if you enjoyed this!
> 
> If you’re interested my tumblr username is the same as my AO3 (@howdoesonewritethings) do feel free to go follow me there!
> 
> That’s all from me I guess lol, so yeah!


	3. your smile in the back of my mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluff? From me? You can decide whether to be happy or worried about that. Chapter title today is taken from the song "everything has changed" by Taylor Swift so yeah, there'll be more notes at the end :)

Patton hummed to himself as he headed home in the light of the barely rising sun, being regularly interrupted by his own yawns as he went. Still, his sleepiness would never prevent Patton from smiling, no matter what. His feet fumbled a couple of times on the uneven pavement, but he never hit the floor, something he was thankful for.

The sunrise was beautiful today, sending a soft glow all around the city. It made the usual monochrome streets look more alive than usual, and that was a good thing. The glow of the puddles made them look like portals to another dimension, rather than dark cavities in the pavement filled with rainwater.

Patton was a firm believer that there was beauty in everything, even if it was hard to spot at first. Then again, in some things – and people- the beauty was difficult _not_ to spot.

His thoughts drifted to the handsome man that had walked in earlier and talked with him while he bought sweets. He blushed a little, giggling at his own silliness as he remembered how he had swooped in and saved Patton from falling, his arms strong and cool underneath him.

It didn’t make it any worse that he was extremely nice looking either. His black hair had been slightly messy, as if he had just got out of bed, but Patton got the impression that he was the type to not normally leave the house with a single hair out of place. Well, Patton must just have been privileged to see him on his night time quest for doughnuts.

Still, unless he came in another time, Patton was unlikely to see him again, which was a shame. Darn, he really should have asked for his number, but that would have been unprofessional and probably unwanted. Still, it was too late now to change anything about the encounter, but Patton could dream.

He arrived home fairly quickly, and let himself in. He wasn’t sure whether his housemate would be awake or not, considering it would be almost five in the morning by now. Thus, he tiptoed upstairs, trying not to let the floorboards creak underneath him to wake the other man.

He entered his room with barely any noise at all, and smiled at the sunlight bursting through his windows, casting a pool of light onto his carpet and illuminating the room with a soft glow.

Before promptly closing the curtains, changing into his pajamas and throwing himself into bed.

By the time Patton woke it was gone midday, but he was proud of himself for getting over seven hours of sleep, which he didn’t always achieve, especially if he had plans that day. He yawned, stretching widely in his onesie, which must have been what he pulled on before going to bed. He ruffled his own hair, before padding downstairs in search of breakfast. Or lunch, really, considering the time, but that’s what happens when you work a night shift.

Patton found some cereal in the cupboard, and quickly prepared himself a bowl, pouring in the milk, and shaking the cereal on top, as per his usual routine. Then he carried his bowl into the spacious lounge, plonking it onto the table and starting to eat.

“Good Morning, Patton!” exclaimed a voice from the corner of the room enthusiastically. Patton turned, to see none other than his housemate Roman, who was seated at the large desk they had installed opposite the window, so that Roman wouldn’t take up all the table space when he was working. He was a messy worker, littering papers and pens everywhere, often with his laptop precariously placed at the edge of the table.

“Oh, hi Roman!” Patton greeted. “What’cha working on kiddo?” He asked, continuing to munch on his cereal.

Roman groaned melodramatically. Most things about the man were melodramatic really. “Some stupid Law essay for Uni.” He complained. 

Patton knew for a fact that his younger housemate absolutely hated Law, and yet he was in his second year of university studying it. Honestly Patton sympathised. He had spent a few months working an office job that he had despised and eventually had to quit because the night shift at Tesco Express was preferable. He wasn’t sure how Roman stood it in all honesty.

“Did you put the milk in before the cereal again?” Roman suddenly asked accusingly, spinning around entirely to scrutinise Patton.

Patton shifted in his seat. “Maybeeee…”

Roman sighed, and shook his head. “You, my good sir, are an absolute heathen when it comes to breakfast cereal.”

Patton grinned. “I still stand by that it tastes better.”

Roman gasped, and put one hand on his chest in mock offence. “How dare you besmirch the name of cereal! You take that back!”

Patton giggled, taking another bite of the cereal in question. “Never!”

Roman sighed, shaking his head sadly. “No point fighting a lost battle I suppose.” He commented mournfully. “Anyway, how was work last night? I didn’t hear you come in!” Roman asked, resting his head on his palm. He always liked hearing about the interesting customers Patton sometimes dealt with.

“Well, there was one guy…” Patton said, feeling his cheeks flush slightly.

Roman was siting next to him in a heartbeat. “Dish!” He enthused dramatically.

Patton sighed at his friend’s theatrics, but smiled all the same. “Ok so basically…” He started, Roman nodding for him to continue, “this guy came in, but I didn’t notice because I was stacking some shelves at the time. And you know me, I’ve never exactly been great with stepladders. So it gave a big wobble, and, of course I fell off!”

At this point Roman looked genuinely concerned. “Are you okay?” He asked, worried. “Do you need an icepack?”

Patton laughed. “No, because the next thing I knew I landed in this guy’s arms!”

Roman gasped. “He caught you? How romantic!” He gushed. “Wait. Was he cute?” He checked, eyes serious.

Patton bit his lip, and grinned. “Extremely.”

Roman literally screamed in excitement. “Ohmygosshhhh, tell me everything, what did he look like, what did he say, what did YOU say, what did he buy, give me DETAILSSS!”

Patton laughed at Roman’s second hand excitement, but he was excited himself. “Umm, so he had really gorgeous, slightly messy black hair and kind of chocolatey brown eyes, he was quite tall, but not as tall as you I would say, he was VERY strong, and my god, he had the most incredible jawline you have ever seen!”

Roman put both hands over his heart and awwed, motioning for Patton to continue with his story.

“Right so, then I excused myself and ran away and sat there for like a minute just trying not to drool, and then he came back with some skittles, popcorn, and, you’re going to love this, crofters filled doughnuts.”

Roman almost fell off his chair. “CROFTERS FILLED DOUGHNUTS! HE IS THE ONE! I DEMAND THAT YOU CALL HIM UP RIGHT NOW AND ASK HIM TO MARRY YOU.”

Patton laughed, fiddling awkwardly with his hand. “See, um, that’s the problem… I didn’t get his number.”

“You WHAT?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to be unprofessional or anything, and he’s probably straight anyway, so I just… didn’t ask.”

Roman groaned. “Pattonnn, you just ruined your own chances of a relationship with this perfect sounding man.”

Patton grimaced. “You don’t have to rub it in kiddo."

Roman looked down, wincing a little at his own lack of tact. “Sorry, Pat, I got a bit carried away.”

Patton resumed his beaming smile, and waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it, he was just some guy realistically. Anyway, didn’t you have your dress rehearsal yesterday? How did that go?”

Roman’s eyes lit up once more. “Oh, it was excellent, I feel fully prepared to perform! But that wasn’t even the best bit of my night!”

Patton frowned, confused, knowing full well about Roman's passion for acting, and knew that anything that could top that would have to be pretty spectacular. “Then what was, Ro?” He asked, intrigued.

“Well, as I was making my way back home, I passed by a delightful looking café that was open, and inside the window I caught sight of a  _ dashing _ beauty! So, of course, I had to go inside and introduce myself!”

Patton oohed. “How did it go?” He enthused, prompting Roman to continue.

“Splendidly! He was a fiesty one, but I can’t resist a bit of a spark! He gave me his number, but not a name yet, but I will discover it soon enough.”

Patton smiled. “So what did this fiesty guy look like?”

Roman grinned. “He had beautiful chocolate eyes, probably similar to what you described in your own prince charming, and his hair was a gorgeous iridescent purple colour! He was pale, a beautiful porcelain that reminded me of snow white. He was wearing eyeliner which really accentuated his features, and he was wearing this GORGEOUS dark lipstick that I really must borrow at some point.” He gushed, excited to tell Patton about his cinderella.

“Well he sounds just great kiddo! Have you called him?” Patton asked.

Roman gasped, and stood abruptly. “No! But I will! Enjoy your hell spawn cereal Pat, I have a prince to call!” And with that, the eccentric young prince dashed away, up the stairs. Patton opened his mouth to remind his housemate of the essay he was supposed to be writing, but decided to let the boy have his fun. He could always finish it later.

Roman, meanwhile, raced upstairs, and grabbed his phone, which was of course the newest model of the most expensive phone money could buy. He grabbed the post it note that he had left on his shelf, and quickly dialed the first number.

It started ringing, before a voice started speaking – a voice that DEFINITELY wasn’t his cinderella. It was a man, speaking extremely dramatically, giving what appeared to be some kind of speech? “Hello?” Roman asked quizzically, but the voice just ploughed on with the speech. Roman sighed and hung up. Evidently that one was not the correct number.

So he moved onto the second one, more hopeful. He wouldn’t put the correct one first, would he? He had to make a game out of it. So he dialed the number and waited. The person on the other end picked up, and before Roman could even say anything just said “I am Groot.” Before hanging up.

Now, unless his dark prince had a thing for marvel characters, it was unlikely to be this one either. Right. Ok, so thinking about his earlier idea, it would probably be the last one, as cinderella would have wanted him to call them all, right? So he skipped the third number, and called the last one.

He was hopeful for this one, but an automated voice started speaking. “Thank you for calling the Flat Earth Hotline. To get a free information booklet, press 1. To speak to an enlightened member of the community press 2-“ Roman hung up. So much for feeling clever.

He dialed the third number, rolling his eyes. It was worth it though to get to speak to the boy again. He pressed the phone to his ear, hoping he would pick up. Excitement welled up in him, but he was simply greeted with “JoHn CeNa” and the familiar theme song.

Roman’s heart sank, and he slowly pulled the phone from his ear and ended the call. It seemed that maybe the purple haired prince didn’t want to get to know him after all. Which was fine, just… upsetting. Roman dropped the post it to the ground, sitting on the floor heavily. Well, a failed conquest was something every prince experienced – wait.

The post it note had fluttered down to the ground, and landed face down on the floor. However, what Roman hadn’t noticed was that on the back of the post it note, a fifth number had been scribbled.

Telling himself not to get his hopes up, he dialed this last number, and pressed he phone to his ear. It rang… and rang, and rang. After a minute or so, it went to voicemail. Roman was about to hang up once more, when he recognised the familiar voice of his cinderella.

“Hey, um, you’ve reached my phone. I’m probably in class right now, or whatever, but don’t leave a voicemail, just send me a text or something. Um, yeah, ok, bye I guess.”

Roman chuckled at how awkward the other boy sounded in the voicemail, and his heart warmed. Of course he left the correct number! After all, who could resist Roman’s dashing good looks?

Feeling elated, he quickly saved the number in his phone as “Cinderella” and sent him a text. “Hey, Cinders, it’s me Roman. I guess this shoe fits :)”. He hit send, and waited, hoping the boy would respond. 

Virgil, meanwhile, was in fact in class. He was in his second year of A levels, and was taking art, psychology and sociology. He quite liked his sixth form, most people were friendly enough, and he was happy with his subjects. Art he took simply because he liked it and was good at it, and psychology and sociology were motivated by his fascination with people in general. Classes were interesting, despite coursework being time consuming and exams being extremely stressful.

He was sitting in psychology at the time, going over some key points in the topic they had just covered, as it would be the last time they saw it before their final exams. He was slightly zoned out, but he was definitely not thinking about the prince from the night before, and wondering if he would find his number.

He had calls muted, but his phone would still vibrate when texts came through. He nearly jumped out of his seat when his phone buzzed, breaking him out of his reverie, and he blushed slightly, looking around in mortification, hoping nobody had seen his overreaction.

Once he was satisfied that nobody was looking at him strangely, he picked up the phone and opened it to check who the text was from.

 He couldn’t help but smile slightly upon seeing who it was from, and immediately unlocked his phone in order to save the number as “princey”, despite knowing the guy’s real name. He then quickly tapped out a response to Roman, before scribbling down some notes quickly to make it seem like he was at least trying to pay attention.

_ Virgil:  _ hey prince charming. don’t you know it’s rude to text someone when they’re in class?

Within seconds he got a reply.

_ Princey: _ Oops, my bad Cinders. What are you studying?

_ Virgil: _ well im in psychology atm but I also take sociology n art

_ Princey:  _ Oh, are you in college then?

_ Virgil:  _ sixth form, second year

_ Princey:  _ Ah, yes, I’m in my second year of studying law at university.

This surprised Virgil, and he stared at his phone quizzically, as if it would divulge answers without him asking Roman any questions. Who would have guessed that the overdramatic theatre nerd was in his second year of university studying _law_ of all things? Roman however, did not read his mind and provide an explanation.

_ Virgil:  _ wow, doesn’t sound fun

_ Princey:  _ It’s not.

Virgil waited a few seconds to see if the other man would elaborate, but he didn’t. Huh. Maybe there was more to this guy than Virgil has assumed.

_ Virgil:  _ so ur what, 20?

_ Princey:  _ 19 actually, I’m a summer child

_ Princey:  _ June 4 th , put it in your calendar

_ Virgil:  _ huh, theres only really a year n a bit between us

_ Princey:  _ So, my young cinders, are you going to tell me your name?

_ Virgil:  _ nope, patience is a virtue and youre supposed to be a prince

_ Virgil:  _ shit my teacher is coming towards me gtg

Roman laughed at his phone. Even without capitalisation or any form of punctuation whatsoever, the emo had managed to effectively communicate a feeling of slight panic.

Roman smiled, before turning the phone off and slipping it into his pocket with a wistful sigh. He really should get started on his essay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet, that was that, just some fluffy platonic royality. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did maybe check out my tumblr, @howdoesonewritethings, where there's some more sanders sides oneshots that I haven't posted here if you're interested!
> 
> i think that's all, i hope you enjoyed this!


	4. my heart of stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's just logicality fluff ft. some truly weirdly phrased stuff because i wrote this like a year ago now I think lmao so don't judge me too badly for it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ???/? i'm back? honestly i didn't plan on updating this today but... here i am? i don't know if i'll update regularly but i might lol. annnnyyyyway just a heads up its like gone 11pm and i have school tomorrow so i edited this really fast and i wrote it like a year ago so please be nice to me if the writing is bad or there's typos
> 
> but yeah uhhhh heres this
> 
> UPDATE: chapter title is from a beautiful song from Six The Musical that i adoreeeee and i recommend you check out lol

It was only a few days later that Logan woke up in the early hours of the morning with a sudden and irresistable craving for crofters doughnuts. He sighed, staring into the darkness for a moment and contemplating whether it was worth getting out of his warm and comfortable bed simply to trek across town in search of doughnuts.

Almost immediately decided that yes, yes it was. 

This time, he took slightly more care with his appearance than last time, which was absolutely not in case he ran into the same worker as before. Definitely not. He dressed into his favourite warm blue sweater and his favourite pair of jeans, before combing his hair so that it was as neat as usual, rather than in it’s usual messy state after waking up at 2am. He also considered brushing his teeth, but decided that that would be ridiculous, as it would totally ruin the taste of the doughnuts. And after all, he wasn’t trying to impress anyone. He wasn’t.

He left his room, and started to make his way down the hallway, before stopping outside Virgil’s room. Almost positive he wouldn’t be asleep yet, Logan gently knocked on the door, smiling fondly when from within he heard Virgil shout “come in”, confirming his suspicions.

He swung open the door and walked into the room of his younger brother. The room was actually fairly nice, and less emo than one might expect based on Virgil’s appearance. The walls were white, with a feature wall in a gorgeous shade of purple that the brothers had picked out together. Virgil had a large double bed with a simple grey checker print on it. His walls were adorned with some of the best pieces of his own artwork, including a gorgepus depiction of a wyvern and a beautiful portrait of the two brothers. Virgil had a large bookshelf made of dark wood, as well as a desk tucked in the corner, which he rarely ever used. There was also a large window situated in one of the walls, with a window seat inlaid into it, where Virgil himself was currently seated, one earbud in and texting someone on his phone. 

“Salutations, Virgil, I was just heading down to a store in order to pick up some snacks, and I was wondering if you wanted anything?” Logan asked, feeling a little awkward loitering in the doorway.

Virgil looked at him incredulously. “You’re going to get snacks… at 2 in the morning.” His younger brother repeated sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

Logan nodded, pushing his glasses up onto his nose. “Yes, I do indeed believe that is what I said.”

Virgil scrutinised him for a second, before shrugging, clearly deciding not to press the issue. “Are you going to get some of those crofters doughnuts again?” He asked, focusing his attention back on his phone.

“Yes that was the plan.”Logan confirmed.

“Okay, well definitely save me at least one, and I’d love some of those blackberry bonbons you got me the other week if you don’t mind.” Virgil said, looking up briefly and smiling, before once again looking back down at his phone and snorting.

“Who are you texting?” Logan asked, curious. As far as he had heard, Virgil got along well with most of the people at his sixth form, but wasn’t really friends with any of them in particular. It was probably good that he was actually talking to somebody and making friends.

Virgil shifted slightly awkwardly however. “Uhh… a friend.” He replied, keeping his attention on his phone. Logan raised an eyebrow that the boy wouldn’t be able to see, before shrugging. He wasn’t going to push him. If Virgil wanted to keep his friends and Logan separate he wouldn’t dispute that… yet.

“Okay. Well I’m going to head out now, maybe try and get some sleep before I get back?” Logan suggested hopefully.

Virgil simply raised his eyebrows at his brother in answer. It was the weekend, he was free to stay up all night if he wanted and Logan knew that full well.

Logan sighed at his incorrigible younger brother, and left the room.

Being in his real apartment this time, he could go to a nearby 24/7 supermarket for the snacks, but something, which definitely wasn’t hope that Patton worked this shift too, made him decide to instead try to find the same shop. He pulled out his phone, and asked siri to find a Tesco Express near him. Frustratingly, there were four in his nearby area, but he wasn’t sure if any of them were the correct one.

Deciding to just go for it, he walked in the direction of his false apartment. If going from one to the other worked last time, hopefully it would this time as well? 

It was slightly warmer tonight than it had been earlier on in the week, and Logan hoped that it was because winter was over, and march would yield a pretty spring to replace the harsh winter of this year. It was drier, too, and there was a lack of puddles as he walked, just the grey concrete beneath him. Still, there was a remaining chill in the night air, as it was only just past winter after all, and Logan was thankful for his warm jumper.

After walking for a whle, Logan tried asking Siri again to find a nearby Tesco Express. To his jubilation, there was one that seemed about right only a five minute walk away. He loaded up the directions, hoping that he hadn’t messed up. And even if he had, he could get doughnuts from any tesco express,there was no logical reason for him to feel the need to go to that specific one.

However Logan did indeed recognise the same shop when he turned the corner into the correct street. His phone alerted him that he had reached his destination, and he saved the route to his phone, in case he ever needed to access it in future.

He stepped into the shop, the mechanical sliding doors opening to allow him entry. A part of him – a part that was larger than he would have liked to admit – wanted to immediately go over to the till to find out whether Patton was indeed working this shift, but he did have an actual reason to be here, especially as Virgil has specifically asked him for something. After all, if he had the self control to be an assassin, he had the self control to wait two minutes while he picked up what he needed, before heading over to the till.

So he did. He headed first over to the confectionary aisle, picking up Virgil’s purple bonbons, and then to the familiar bakery aisle to grab his doughnuts. Last time there had been several packs remaining, but this time there was only one, which prevented Logan from getting two packs, something he both resented and was grateful for, for the sake of his athletic figure, which he needed to retain in order to be good at his job.

So he grabbed the pack left, and headed over to the till, reminding himsef that it probably wouldn’t be Patton there, and it was ok because he didn’t actually come here to see him.

To Logan’s delight, it did turn out to be Patton sitting at the till, somewhat engrossed in a magazine of some kind. He glanced up as Logan approached the till, and jumped a little, almost dropping his magazine. Catching himself, he placed it down on the side, and simply exclaimed “It’s you again!” In one of the brightest voices Logan had ever heard. God, it was like the man emmitted pure sunshine.

“Salutations Patton. I must say it is a pleasant surprise to see you again. Logan told him, his lips automatically pulling into a small smile as he looked at the smaller man.

“Gosh darn it, this is the second time you’ve come in here and snuck up on me!” Patton remarked, still grinning brightly and appearing to be genuinely overjoyed to see Logan again. It was… strange. But nice.

“Ah, yes, well, I have a habit of being accidentally sneaky.” Logan admitted. It was true. Because of his job he had been trained in how to get around without making a single sound, and often enough he did it without even thinking, occasionally making Virgil jump.

Patton giggled. “I’ll say so!” He said, clearly amused by Logan’s admittance. “Say, I don’t think I got your name last time you were here!” Patton remarked cheerfully, inwardly wondering whether that overstepped some kind of customer-employee boundary.

“Oh, my mistake. My name is Logan. Sanders.” Logan told him, giving Patton a kind of awkward head nod at the end, unsure of how to be cool and smooth in this situation.

Patton giggled once more, aparently charmed by Logan’s ineptitude. “Well it’s nice to see you again Logan! I’m Patton Perre!” Patton announced, still beaming brightly. 

Logan grinned. He had known the man’s forename, but he appreciated the alliteration with his surname. Although… “Perre… is that foreign?” He asked, intrigued.

Patton simply shook his head, but then stopped and shrugged. “Well, maybe somewhere down the line, but my parents and I have lived in this country our whole lives.”

Logan nodded, unsure where next to proceed in this conversation. The only people he actually held conversations with were Virgil, his victims, and Them. He should probably get out more…

“So, back here at 3am again to purchase more doughnuts?” Patton remarked, indicating the things in Logan’s hand, making Logan flush a little. He had almost forgotten about them.

Logan pushed his glasses up his nose, laughing slightly awkwardly. “Guilty as charged.” He said, holding his hands up in a surrender, trying not to drop the aforementioned items. “It’s not just me this time either though, my younger brother asked me to save him a doughnut, and requested bonbons.” He tried to excuse himself, holding up the bonbons as proof.

“Aw, you have a younger brother?” Patton asked, his eyes soft, silently pleading Logan to tell him more.

“Yes, he’s 18 and in his second year of sixth form.” Logan told him, smiling fondly. “He’s an interesting one, but we get on well, and I wouldn’t change him for anything.” It was true. He was remarkably lucky to have the brother he did, and Virgil’s happiness and safety was one of his only real concerns in life.

“Sounds like you get on well.” Patton remarked, his smile turning as soft as his eyes. Logan came across as as a tall, strong, maybe slightly awkward man, and picturing him spending time with his younger brother made Patton melt slightly. The way his expression changed when Logan talked about him proved that there was a nurturing, caring side to him, and discovering it only made Patton want to learn more about the other man.

“We definitely do, and honestly I would say that we’re lucky to have as good of a relationship as we do.” Logan told Patton, shrugging, unable to fend off a small smile.

Paton audibly awwed, and Logan was reminded that conversations weren’t supposed to be entirely one sided, and at the moment Patton was doing all of the work.

“What about you, Patton, do you have any siblings?” Logan asked, trying his best to socialise.

Patton smiled sadly, and shook his head. “Nah. I would have loved a younger sibling, but it’s just me. Heck, I don’t even see my parents that much any more…” At this Patton looked genuinely sad, and Logan cursed himself for managing to put a frown on beautiful, sunny Patton’s face.

Unsure of how to fix it, Logan awkwardly leant forward and placed one hand on Patton’s shoulder. If socialisimg was foreign, this was even more so. Virgil wasn’t much of a touchy person, so most of the time his only interactions with other people were motivated by fake passion. What was it about Patton that turned Logan’s usually confident and sure façade into a complete flop, leaving only the real him, more of a socially awkward mess.

When Patton felt the hand on his shoulder, he straightened up, immediately plastering on a smile. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it, I just kinda miss them.”

Logan nodded, a sad and sympathetic smile on his face now too. He knew all too well how painful missing your parents can be.

“Anyway, I should probably scan your items now if you want to bring your brother’s snacks home before five in the morning.”

Logan checked his watch at this, startled, and realised that it was indeed 20 past four in the morning. Huh. With making his way here and getting caught up in talking to Patton he really had lost track of time. But it was just so easy to talk to Patton, despite the occasional awkward silence or comment. It was like he had known him for much longer than he had. Was this how socialising with the general public usually worked?

“Oh, yes, of course.” Logan responded a moment or so too late, breaking out of his thoughts and handing over his snacks. He paid Patton, and stood there slightly awkwardly, wondering what he was supposed to do. He didn’t really want to leave yet, he was having fun, but he really should be heading home. 

“Will I see you here again?” Logan blurted impulsively. Good one Logan, that wasn’t weird or creepy in the slightest, he mentally chastised himself.

Luckily for Logan, Patton was too kind to point out his awkwardness, and simply chuckled rather than pointing out the strangeness of the question. “If you make a habit of stopping by here in the early hours of the morning then probably! I work most weekdays except Thursday, and on Saturday.” Patton told him, smiling brightly, and this time it wasn’t forced at all.

Logan smiled, fighting off a slightly bashful smile as he nodded. “I plan to.” He assured him. “Thank you, Patton. I hope to see you again soon.”


	5. i can see the stars all the way from here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back! and with!! more fluff!! dont worry though, you get one more chapter of fluff and then the angst hits, so look foward to that! love you alllllllllll

Over the course of a couple of weeks, this became a sort of routine. Logan would visit the familiar Tesco Express multiple times a week, completely throwing his circadian rhythm out of the window just for the sake of seeing Patton -  although he told Virgil (and himself) that he just really, really liked those crofters doughnuts.

Virgil didn’t mind Logan sneaking out in the middle of the night, as he never bothered him. Most of the time he was awake anyway, and when he wasn’t Logan was always too quiet to actually wake him. Plus he always got bonbons or some other kind of sugary snack out of it, so he definitely wasn’t going to object to the new routine. Still, it did confuse him. Surely his brother was going to extremes, getting up at 2am and leaving the house for what was sometimes a few hours, just to get doughnuts that he could pick up during any time of day?

Still, Virgil didn’t question it. For all he knew his brother was somehow pregnant with some woman’s baby and he had pregnancy cravings. Or maybe he was going to see the mystery mother of this hypothetical baby. Ultimately, it gave him both food and the opportunity to sneak out to go and see Roman.

Whatever they had – neither of them had defined it – it had been going strong for a few weeks now, despite him continuing to make a point of not telling Roman his name. They would often meet up at nights and go to the café, or a public park, and just sit and talk, or kiss under the stars, whatever they felt like. Still Virgil felt  guilty that they had to creep around because Virgil hadn’t told his brother yet.

It was a Saturday night, and Logan had just left to go get his usual snacks, promising Virgil shortbread. As soon as he heard the front door snap shut across the apartment,  Virgil texted Roman, who promptly called him.

“Hey.” Roman greeted from the other end of the line, and Virgil could tell by the tone of his voice that he was smirking.

“Hey.” Virgil repeated, slightly breathless, too happy to hear his voice to say something witty, or snarky. He wrapped his arm around his knees, curled up in his normal spot on the window ledge, looking out of the window at the stars.

There was a pause, but not an awkward one. Roman had quickly learned that Virgil was the type of person to appreciate a silence, and both of them were just content to sit there, knowing the other person was with them in some way at least.

“What are you doing right now?” Asked Roman from the other end, sounding genuinely curious. It was one of Virgil’s favourite things about Roman, that he was always genuinely interested in whatever Virgil had to say, no matter how boring.

“Looking up at the stars.” Virgil told him quietly, still smiling softly.

On the other end of the line, Roman hummed to acknowledge his response. “They’re beautiful tonight, aren’t they?” Roman responded in a similar tone to Virgil.

“Yeah, they are.” Virgil agreed, unable to take his eyes off of them.

“How about we go look at them together?” Roman suggested, the smile in his voice audible from the other end of the line.

Virgil sighed happily, slowly drawing his eyes away from the window. “Yeah, I’d like that.” He told Roman, already moving to slip on his sneakers.

“I’ll text you the place.” Roman responded, an edge of cheekiness evident in his voice, before hanging up. Virgil quickly shrugged on his hoodie, and left his bedroom, before feeling his phone vibrate in his hand. He turned it on, and smiled at the location displayed on the lock screen.

And so, unknowingly following in his brother’s footsteps, Virgil left the house, breathing in the night air with a grin. It truly was a beautiful night. It was chilly, but there were hardly any clouds, so the stars were clearly visible above him. Virgil tucked his phone into his pocket, as well as his hands, walking slightly faster than his usual pace in order to get there sooner.

He knew the location they were meeting, and while he didn’t like it much in the day, or early evening, when it was busier, by this time it would be deserted, save for the two of them, just the way Virgil liked it.

Roman had arrived before him, and Virgil could see him standing on top of the skate ramp as soon as he walked into the grassy park. Roman saw him, and waved enthusiastically, and Virgil rolled his eyes, waving in response. What a dork.

He arrived at the bottom of the skate ramp and looked up at the already taller roman who loomed over him when stood on top of it. “Need a hand?” Roman asked, extending a hand down to Virgil, obviously offering to help him make his way up the ramp but Virgil shook his head.

“No chance, Princey.” Virgil scoffed. He may be short but he was perfectly able to climb a skate ramp, even in the dark. He took a few steps back, before sprinting forwards, using the momentum to help him scale the cold metal. Within seconds he was stood in front of Roman, eyebrows raised and a smirk on his face. “See? No problem.”

Roman laughed, shaking his head at his fiery prince. “Whatever you say Cinders.” He said, before settling down on the corner of the ramp, resting his head on the iron railings. Virgil remained standing for a moment, before unceremoniously plonking himself down next to him, slouching in order to reach the perfect position to see the sky, a small smile that Roman couldn’t see snaking onto his face when he wrapped an arm around him, so Virgil was resting against his chest.

“I love nights like this.” Virgil said into the sky, happy and content just to be there with Roman.

Roman hummed his assent, and Virgil smiled, feeling the vibrations from his chest.

“I can see something more beautiful though.” Roman told him, looking at Virgil fondly.

Virgil looked up briefly, catching Roman’s eye. He snorted, ducking his head again quickly. There was no way that Virgil was more beautiful than the stars in this instant, in his ratty hoodie and his hair a mess, but he couldn’t help but feel warm at the statement.

Outwardly however, he shook his head. “You’re so cheesy.” He told Roman, but he only laughed.

“Aw, come on, you live for this stuff.” Roman told him self-assuredly.

Virgil laughed. Roman was correct, of course. Before he met Roman he hadn’t realised it, but he really was an absolute sucker for cheesy romance and shitty pick up lines.

Instead of expressing this verbally though, he turned around and pushed himself onto his knees, in order to softly press his lips against Roman’s. Roman responded instantly, moving to wrap his arms around Virgil’s waist, while Virgil’s fastened around Roman’s neck. Some of their kisses were passionate and fiery, but this one under the stars was sweet, and Virgil smiled into the kiss, loving this just as much as the other ones.

When they pulled away, Virgil laughed and tousled Roman’s hair some more. “I will never admit to it.” He whispered to Roman, in response to his earlier statement.

“Can I…” Roman trailed off, thinking.

“What?” Virgil asked, curious. Roman was usually so sure of himself, but right now he seemed like he wasn’t sure what to say. “Just ask me, I’m unlikely to hate you for whatever it is.” He joked, nudging him teasingly, genuinely intrigued as to what has changed Roman’s mood so abruptly.

Roman sighed, looking into Virgil’s eyes through the darkness. “Can I take you on a date? A real one, I mean. In the day time.”

Virgil pulled away slightly. Oh.

Roman noticed Virgil moving away, and quickly tried to reassure him. “I mean, you don’t have to, it’s fine, don’t think I’m not happy like this, because…”

Virgil cut him off with a shake of his head. He needed to explain. It wasn’t fair to Roman to keep making him sneak around and meet him at odd times of day, but… “I want to, really, I do, but… It’s my brother. And everyone really, I guess. It’s… look, I’m not…out? As gay? Technically? I just… I don’t know, I’ve just never really labelled myself, and my brother would probably be fine with it but… I mean I never got the chance to tell my parents, or anyone really, and I’m just scared of the potential reactions I guess.”

Understanding dawned slowly on  Roman’s face, and he reached out and gently took Virgil’s smaller hand into his own. “That’s ok. I totally understand, I really do. I will never make you do anything you’re not comfortable with, ok?” He said softly.

In moments like this, Roman was so different to the confident, flamboyant Roman that everyone else saw, so much more… vulnerable, almost. He was so sweet, and kind, and he cared about Virgil, and Virgil refused to ruin this.

“I want to go on a date with you.”

“Really?” Roman asked, his expression morphing to one of surprise and joy, sounding hopeful. “I mean you’re not just saying that because I want it, right, it’s because-“

“Really.” Virgil clarified. “I want this. I won’t tell my brother yet, but I will at some point, and this can be my first step towards achieving that.”

Roman smiled with pure, radiant happiness, and leant forwards to kiss Virgil. This one was deeper than the last, and filled with both of their happiness. This one signalled a change.

As they broke away, Virgil realised that there was one more thing he wanted to do. He took a deep breath, his hand reaching up so that his fingers were touching the back of his neck, one of his nervous habits, and just blurted, “My name is Virgil.”

Roman looked at him in surprise, but very soon another joyous smile broke through the shock.

“It’s just like a bandaid, you’ve gotta rip it off.” Virgil murmured, his hand coming away from his neck.

Roman reached out and intertwined their fingers, a silent thank you for trusting him, and leant back against the railings, both of them looking up at the velvety black sky, littered with scars.

But Roman definitely hadn’t been wrong earlier. In his eyes, Virgil was every bit as pretty as each of the stars, and he would even venture to say more so. As the Virgil looked up at the stars with brown eyes filled with wonder, Roman confirmed that to himself. Yes, Virgil was most definitely prettier than all of the stars combined.


	6. he's the earth and heaven to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi heres more fluff! dont get used to it, next chapter starts some angst! :)

Virgil and Roman walked out of the cinema after deadpool 2 both giggling furiously, fingers tightly intertwined. Despite all of Virgil’s fears, it had been… fun. Really fun, actually. Nothing was too different to their midnight outings, Roman was just as sweet and kind, and yeah,while they had gotten some weird looks from other cinema goers during the movie, he suspected that was mostly due to the way Roman threw popcorn at Virgil to make it less uncomfortable whenever a sex scene came on, than because of the way two of them cuddled as best as they could throughout the movie despite the slightly restrictive cinema seats.

Roman squeezed Virgil’s hand lightly, breaking him out of his thoughts. “What did you think?” He asked, grinning.

“Of the movie?” Virgil clarified. “I mean… I’d like to think of myself as a harsh critic, but honestly? It was really fucking funny.” Virgil told him,  smiling in response.

Roman chuckled slightly, shaking his head a little. “I mean you’re not wrong, but I was referring more to the social side of it. It didn’t make you uncomfortable did it?”

Virgil nodded in understanding, smiling reassuringly at the edge of nervousness that crept into Roman’s tone. “No, I had a lot of fun actually!” He confirmed with a grin. “It definitely wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, and… it was kind of freeing. To go out together during sunlight hours. Although being seen in public with such a nerd could damage my street cred…” He ruminated with a smirk.

Roman scoffed playfully. “I’ll have you know that I am extremely cool! And I know for a fact that you don’t have any street cred you… dark arts hoe.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Was that an insult pertaining to black magic and an art hoe aesthetic I absolutely don’t have?”

Roman raised his chin haughtily. “So what if it was.”

Virgil burst out laughing, and stood on his tiptoes, pulling Roman down so that he could kiss his cheek. “That was awful.” He whispered into his ear, still laughing.

Roman straightened up, looking down at Virgil chuckling, before an idea seemed to come to him. “Hey, Virgil, would you like to come back to my place?” He asked excitedly. “I mean, I know you don’t feel comfortable telling your brother about you, but that won’t be an issue at my house, and if you want I can introduce you to my roommate as a friend.”

Virgil thought about this for a second. “You don’t mean as in like-“

“We would keep our clothes on.” Roman confirmed smirking, knowing exactly what Virgil was thinking.

Virgil flushed, bur nodded, happy Roman understood his boundaries. He frowned a little, considering it. “Why not? And hey, I don’t mind being introduced as your… whatever we are.”

Roman let out a quiet whoop, and abruptly scooped Virgil up bridal style before he could protest. Virgil yelped nonetheless, his arms locking around Roman’s neck. “To my house we go then!” Roman announced, grinning widely, before marching off with Virgil still in his arms.

Virgil huffed, slinging onto Roman for dear life. “Put me down.” He demanded with much more authority he had considering Roman was literally carrying him. He shot a death glare Roman’s way, but he only laughed.

 “Absolutely not.” Roman chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to Virgil’s lips.

“Romannnnn…” He whined, but the man in question simply shook his head, still giggling.

“Absolutely not, I want to get to my house as soon as possible and your tiny legs could never keep up with me!” Roman announced, walking slightly faster.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “You’re such a drama queen.” Virgil said, kicking Roman gently in the side, so as not to hurt him with one of his chunky black boots. But Roman only laughed harder, picking up the pace even more.

Giving up, Virgil sighed and let his head flop down, crossing his arms and letting his limbs swing, only serving to make Roman laugh even more. “Who’s the drama queen now?” Roman taunted, grinning at the malcontent Virgil, who reached up to flick him in the nose.

As frustrating as it was, they did actually arrive at Roman’s house faster than they would have if walking at Virgil’s speed, something Virgil would rather die than admit, so he just huffed and refused to speak to Roman until they arrived.

Virgil looked at the house in awe when they arrived. It wasn’t enormous, but it was still fairly large, especially for a student, and it was gorgeous. The outside was painted a light blue, and the windows had white edging  which drew your eyes to them, painting a picture of the perfect cute suburban house. Admittedly though, the house’s appearance did take Virgil aback slightly, as while the blue and white colour scheme was beautiful, it was very different to the rest of Roman’s aesthetic. He looked up at Roman quizzically.

“I thought it was pretty, and it was perfect for my roommate.” Roman explained with a shrug. “You’ll get what I mean when you meet him.”

Virgil chuckled fondly, thinking about it. While Roman at first came across as a slightly self obsessed typical douchebag, he had by now proven that he was absolutely the opposite, and Virgil could easily imagine him redecorating a house based on what his friend liked. It was quite sweet really.

“So… are you going to put me down now then?” Virgil asked slightly sarcastically after a short pause as they reached the front door. Roman sighed regretfully, placing Virgil gently on the floor and reaching into his pocket to retrieve his house keys. Virgil immediately backed away a couple of steps, so as not to give Roman the opportunity to pick him up again any time soon.

Roman chuckled at him as he opened the door, and Virgil flipped him off in response. Roman rolled his eyes a little, grinning as he opened the door, and stepping back to allow Virgil to enter first. Virgil shot Roman a suspicious glance, looking from Roman to the door. Roman chuckled, raising his hands above his head in a surrender, but his smirk didn’t assuage Virgil’s fears.

He walked past Roman slowly, watching him intently for any change, but he didn’t move. He crossed the threshold, and from behind him Roman bowed. “My Prince”. He said with a cheeky grin, and Virgil snorted.

Roman followed him into the hallway, calling the name “Patton?” in a surprisingly quiet voice.

Virgil frowned. “Surely if you want to see if he’s here you should shout loud enough that he can actually hear you?” He asked slightly quizzically, confused by this approach. He was used to wandering into his apartment at any hour of the day and yelling Logan’s name at the top of his lungs to see whether his brother was home, but Roman shook his head.

“He works a night shift at his job, so he usually sleeps for quite a while, I was just checking whether he was awake or not, but based on the lack of response he’s probably asleep.”

Vigil chuckled understandingly. “You’re nicer than I am. My brother goes out at night quite often, so he sleeps for most of the morning as well, but I just yell his name into the apartment anyway. The way I see it, if he wakes up that’s his problem.”

Roman gasped, looking unsure whether to laugh or feel bad for Virgil’s unknown brother. “You’re so mean!” He exclaimed.

Virgil chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, but he does the same to me.”

Roman snorted, but then a mischievous expression came across his face. “If Patton’s asleep that means we have the whole place to ourselves - if we’re quiet.”

Virgil’s eyes widened as he latched onto his mood immediately, and nodded, immediately reaching up and fastening his arms around Roman’s neck. Roman grabbed Virgil’s thighs, and used them to hoist  him up, where their lips pressed together passionately. Roman’s arm snaked around Virgil’s waist, as he deepened the kiss further, and Virgil hummed in pleasure.

Grinning, Roman pinned Virgil against a wall, continuing to kiss him. Virgil shivered deliciously, and Roman couldn’t help but pull his lips away from Virgil’s in order to kiss his jawline, and started to move downwards slowly, kissing and sucking gently until he reached Virgil’s collarbone.

Virgil gasped as lips met his collarbone, and he freed a hand from Roman’s neck in order to gently pull Roman’s chin back up so that their lips could meet once more. Roman pulled Virgil even tighter towards him and then-

“Whoa, looks like I’m interrupting something!” A voice sounded from close by, sounding both surprised and apologetic. Roman immediately detached his lips from Virgil’s his head whipping around to see a slightly older looking man standing in the middle of the living room in a onesie, looking as if he had just rolled out of bed. He was looking at the two of them with one eyebrow raised.

Virgil flushed furiously red, and Roman awkwardly put Virgil down, pulling away a little.

There was a pause.

“Um, hey Pat.” Roman said into the silence after a moment. “We thought you were still asleep.” He said apologetically, unable to think of anything else to say. ”Um…” He trailed off. What were you supposed to say when your housemate and best friend caught you passionately making out with your not-quite-boyfriend in the living room?

Patton however just laughed good naturedly. “Well I was, but then I woke up and came downstairs looking for something to eat, and… well. Bumped into you two!”

Virgil shifted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as he stared awkwardly at the carpet. He was never good with strangers at the best of times, and in this situation he had no idea what to do or say that could make this better. Patton quickly picked up on his discomfort. “Hiya there kiddo! Sorry for the awkward situation, I’ve always had bad timing. I’m Patton, and you must be…”

“Uh… I’m Virgil.” Virgil told him, looking up and smiling briefly his hand still somewhat glued to the back of his neck. “Roman’s…” He trailed off, unsure what he was.

Patton however just chuckled again. “Yeah, I think I get the picture.”

There was another awkward pause before Patton spoke up once more.

“Say, kiddos, this is kinda awkward, so how about we all go out to get coffee, and I can get to know Virgil a bit better?” The man suggested, his blue eyes twinkling behind his spectacles in a way that reminded Virgil of a slightly more manic and enthusiastic Logan.

Before he could properly consider the benefits and drawbacks and have a full mental debate about whether or not to accept Patton’s offer, the words were out of his mouth. “Yeah, that sounds great… Patton.”

Patton beamed at him, looking genuinely enthusiastic about the prospect. “Wonderful! I’ll go and get changed, and I’ll meet you two back here in a couple of minutes, how does that sound?”

When neither of the boys raised any concerns with the idea, Patton nodded, and headed upstairs.

Roman sighed and went to sit on the couch, Virgil settling next to him after a moment. “Well, that was awkward. Do you see what I mean now about the house fitting Patton though?”

Virgil blinked, slowly coming out of the depths of mental anguish he was wallowing in to process Roman’s comment before laughing as he remembered Roman’s earlier comment. “I do, actually. He’s really got that friendly, over enthusiastic dad-vibe going on, doesn’t he?” Virgil chuckled quietly, glancing around in case the man returned unexpectedly. From his, admittedly short, interaction with Patton, Virgil could already tell that he was a genuinely nice guy, just like Roman.

Roman nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly! He’s a nice guy, but sometimes he can be a lot… similar to me I guess!”

Virgil snorted, and Roman looked at him somewhat expectantly. “What?” Virgil asked. “If you’re waiting for me to contradict you you’re gonna be here a while.”

Roman pulled a face, and shifted slightly closer to Virgil. “You didn’t say yes to coffee just because you felt like you had to, right?” Roman asked. By now he knew that a lot of Virgil’s decisions were motivated by either awkwardness or anxiety, and it was important to him that the other boy knew he had the option to say no, but Virgil shook his head.

“No, I didn’t. He seems like an interesting guy, and… I know he’s important to you. One coffee date can’t hurt, can it?” Virgil responded, nervousness evident in his tone, but a small smile on his face.

Roman pulled him closer, the smaller of the two making a surprised “oof” noise as he did so. “You’re the best Virge.” Virgil smiled into the other teen’s shoulder, pulling away slowly when he heard Patton’s footsteps coming down the stairs. They were slightly too loud, and it was clearly Patton’s way of subtly alerting them to his return, which was sweet of him, and Virgil was fairly confident he was making the right decision in getting to know this guy.

A moment later Patton entered the room, beaming as brightly as before. “Okay kiddos, I’m ready whenever you are!” He told them happily. He was wearing a simple blue polo with a cardigan draped around his shoulders that really highlighted the dad vibe he had, despite only being, what, 24 or 25? Plus the blue polo brought out his eyes, which really were a startling shade of blue.

Roman grinned back at Patton, squeezing Virgil’s hand as he got up from the sofa, Virgil following him, and the three left the house.

“So, any requests or recommendations for coffee shops?” Patton asked brightly as they stepped out onto the street outside of the house. Roman and Virgil looked at each other, and a smile flashed across both of their faces, both thinking the same thing.

“I might know a place.” Virgil told Patton, looking up at Roman with a grin.

“Lead the way.” Instructed Patton with a shrug and a smile.

After a few minutes walking, the trio arrived outside of the café where Virgil and Roman had first met, and Patton’s eyes lit up. “Well this place sure is adorable!” Patton exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips as they stood outside the familiar large glass storefront.

Roman nodded in agreement, and Virgil chimed in with a “sure is” that was brighter than his usual sarcastic tone.

“Shall we head inside then?” Asked Roman, already moving ahead of Virgil to open the door for his shorter companions.

Patton giggled. “Always the gentleman you are Roman.” He laughed, walking through the door Roman had propped open.

Virgil hung back slightly. “After you.” Roman said, his eyes twinkling, and Virgil walked in, with a sigh, shaking his head.

“What kinda Gentleman picks up someone without asking, hmm?” Virgil whispered teasingly as he walked past, still salty about the earlier attack, but Roman simply poked him in the ribs, making him squirm and grin.

“Rude.”

Virgil pulled his overlarge stripy purple sweater over his hands as he approached the till, already running over what he was going to say in his mind. He was going to order his usual, a caramel latte, and he would have the money ready to go and-

“What do you kiddos want?” Patton asked, grinning, already holding a 20 in his hand.

“Oh, you don’t have to-“ Virgil began, scrambling for his wallet, but Patton shook his head.

“Hey, I interrupted you two and made it awkward, the least I can do is apologise by getting you a drink right?” Patton asked, and Virgil flushed slightly at the all too recent memory. Still, he felt kind of bad accepting his money…

Roman, however, appeared to have no such qualms. “A peppermint mocha for me please.” He instructed Patton, with a smile and a wink, making Patton giggle. Virgil knew for a fact that the peppermint mocha had originally been on the menu solely as a christmas item, but it was so popular that Valerie simply introduced it as a regular menu item.

“And for you, Virgil?” Patton asked, turning to the purple and black clad boy.

“Uh… a caramel latte please?” Virgil said, more of a question that instruction, his voice hesitant, but Patton beamed at him.

“Wonderful! How about you guys go get a table and I’ll order?” Patton suggested, and Roman nodded, grabbing Virgil by the hand.

“Where do you want to sit?”Roman asked. The café wasn’t full by any means, and thankfully Virgil’s usual booth was free, so he pulled Roman towards it.

“This is where I sit to study sometimes.” Virgil informed Roman as the two of them settled into the booth.

Roman looked surprised. “You come here often then?”

Virgil laughed. “Of course! The night we met definitely wasn’t my first time here. At this point, the owner, Valerie, knows my name and order by now. I know most of the baristas too, there aren’t too many.”

Roman looked intrigued. “Who are today’s baristas then?”

Virgil looked around, before spotting a familiar flash of brightly coloured hair, and smiling. “The one over there, with the awesome hair? That’s Talyn. And the one on till duty today is called Thomas.”

Roman chuckled, and replied, “Well, looks like you are a regular coffee shop art hoe.”

Virgil rolled his eyes and whacked Roman on the shoulder as Patton appeared holding a number plaque. “The nice man at the counter said they’ll be over in a sec.” Patton said, sitting across from the two of them and putting the number plaque in the middle of the table. Then he leaned forward with a grin and conspiratorially whispered, “He’s a cutie that one.”

Roman laughed, but Virgil was slightly shocked. Patton was into guys too? Well, that would certainly explain how easily accepting he was of finding two boys making out in his living room.

Patton seemed to note his confusion, and grinned. “I’m pansexual, kiddo,” and Virgil nodded understandingly. That made sense, actually. Despite how little he actually knew about him, he could already definitely see pure, kind Patton being the type to love people, regardless of gender.

Then he had a thought. “I mean… Thomas, the barista, is gay, and I’m pretty sure he’s single at the moment, so, I mean, if you wanted…” Virgil let the rest of his sentence trail off, hoping Patton knew what he’d meant.

Patton and Roman made brief eye contact, Roman smiling fondly at Virgil trying to help Patton out, before Patton chuckled lightly. “I’ve kind of got my eye on someone else right now, kiddo, but maybe if it doesn’t work out…”

At this point, Talyn came over with their drinks. “A peppermint mocha?” They said, holding it up? Roman put up his hand, signalling that it was for him. “I’m gonna assume the caramel latter is for Virgil over here.” They said wryly, grinning at Virgil.

“You know me.” He responded, shrugging, reaching out for it.

“And that leaves the large black coffee for you!” They said happily, handing it over before bustling off. The café was growing more busy now, and Virgil imagined that they had a lot of customers who needed serving. Still, the fact that Patton had gotten a black coffee surprised Virgil slightly.

Roman, sensing his confusion, leaned over and whispered, “He may be but small, but that man consumes coffee like I have never seen before.” Virgil stifled a giggle, but Patton was oblivious, already getting started on his coffee.

“So, Virgil, tell me about yourself.” Patton urged after his first mouthful.

“Uh…” Virgil looked at Roman for help, who just smiled and took a sip of his drink. Wow, very helpful. “Well, I’m in my second year of sixth form, so that’s fun…”

“Oh, what subjects do you take?” Patton asked, still smiling.

“Well, I take art, psychology and sociology, and I took english language until last year but dropped that subject after AS levels, I didn’t enjoy it that much.”

Patton’s eyes lit up at the mention of art. “Oh, I took art in sixth form too, but I’m sure you’re much better than I was. You’ll have to show me some of your pieces some time”.

Virgil smiled, encouraged by Patton’s enthusiasm. “Yeah, maybe I will.”

“They’re incredible.” Roman cut in quickly. He hadn’t seen Virgil’s art firsthand, but based on the pictures Virgil had shown him, the boy had talent. Virgil blushed, and looked down, kicking the other boy lightly in the shins under the table. “What?” Roman asked. “They are!”

 “So, the two artists together – speaking of, Virgil, are you going to see Roman’s production of Cinderella next month?” Patton asked with a smile, overjoyed that the boy Roman liked so much was such a good match for him.

Roman looked at him expectantly, his eyes urging him to say yes, and Virgil gave.”I mean, why not?” He said, taking a sip of his latte as Roman cheered excitedly.

How did he end up with this absolute dork?


End file.
